Inter Milan vs Udinese

After making a strong statement in the Serie A title race, Inter Milan will look to secure a spot in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals when they host Udinese on Thursday.

Fresh off a crucial victory over Lazio, Inter are closing in on the league’s top position and are starting their quest to claim the Coppa Italia for the 10th time.

Heading into Monday’s match tied on points with potential title challengers Lazio, the defending Serie A champions delivered a commanding performance at Stadio Olimpico, making it clear they are determined to retain their status as the top team in Italian football.

Though they were perhaps fortunate to hold a two-goal lead at halftime, Nicolo Barella’s stunning strike set the tone for a dominant second half. Goals from wing-backs Carlos Augusto and Denzel Dumfries, along with Marcus Thuram’s finishing touch, rounded off an emphatic display.

The resounding 6-0 victory in Rome propelled Simone Inzaghi’s team to third in the Serie A table, just three points behind relentless leaders Atalanta BC, with a game in hand.

The Nerazzurri have matched their club record for the most top-flight away victories in a single calendar year, while also setting a new milestone with 47 away goals scored in 2024—an all-time high.

Before triumphing over his former team in Rome, Inzaghi experienced a rare setback last week when his team was narrowly defeated by a last-minute goal in a thrilling clash between the champions of the German and Italian leagues.

Despite the loss to Bayer Leverkusen, which marked the first goal Inter has conceded in this season's Champions League, their path to the last 16 remains firmly on track. Additionally, they are gearing up for their appearance in the Supercoppa Italiana.

As nine-time Coppa Italia champions, Inter is set to embark on their latest campaign at this stage due to their involvement in European competitions, keeping alive the possibility of an unprecedented quadruple triumph.

Lucca, the Friuli club's leading scorer so far this season, also scored in a 3-2 league loss to Inter that same month, bringing their record against the Nerazzurri to four straight losses.

Udinese would host Lazio in the quarterfinals in February if they could snap that run in Thursday's last-16 match at San Siro, but their top objective is to prevent another near-relegation.

Kosta Runjaic took over after the team barely made it through the previous season, and he has led them to ninth place in the standings, despite the fact that they have only won one of their last seven games after losing 3-1 to Napoli on Saturday.

First-choice forwards Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez may be benched on Thursday night as Inter manager Simone Inzaghi rests a few regulars due to games every few days.


Even though Udinese's schedule is far less demanding, Kosta Runjaic is still anticipated to rotate his team at San Siro, and Alexis Sanchez, a seasoned striker, may even make a late season debut against his former team.

The Slovenian midfielder joins Oier Zarraga, Martin Payero, Keinan Davis, and starting goalie Maduka Okoye on the sidelines after suffering a thigh injury during last week's league loss to Napoli.

First-choice forwards Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez may be benched on Thursday night as Inter manager Simone Inzaghi rests a few regulars due to games every few days.


Even though Udinese's schedule is far less demanding, Kosta Runjaic is still anticipated to rotate his team at San Siro, and Alexis Sanchez, a seasoned striker, may even make a late season debut against his former team.

The Slovenian midfielder joins Oier Zarraga, Martin Payero, Keinan Davis, and starting goalie Maduka Okoye on the sidelines after suffering a thigh injury during last week's league loss to Napoli.

Inter enters this match fresh off a Serie A victory against Lazio. Coming into this match, Udinese is coming off a league defeat to Napoli. In the meantime, they defeated Salernitana 1919 in their last Coppa Italia encounter.